This invention relates to the use of starch-protein products as preclouding and clouding agents for acidic fluids, especially as dry clouding agents suitable for incorporation in dry beverage mixes. It also relates to a process for preparing these liquid and dry preclouding and clouding agents.
As used herein, the term acidic "fluids" refers to fluids having a pH of 5.5 or less which are capable of flow and which may contain particulate solids or gases dispersed therein. The term "clouding agents", hereafter described as "clouds", refers to acidified substances or systems, such as liquid clouds, which already have a cloudy (opaque) appearance and which will maintain that cloudy appearance in acidic fluids, as well as to acidified substances or systems, such as dry clouds, which will have a cloudy appearance in acidic fluids. The term "preclouding agents", hereafter described as "preclouds" refers to substances or systems, both liquid and dry, which are non-acidified but which will develop a cloud when added to acidic fluids. The term "opacity" refers to the level of light transmittance of solutions.
In the art of clouding fluids, especially in an attempt to achieve the desired opacity or cloud inherent in natural juices, it is known and standard practice to form oil-in-water emulsions using edible oils. In bottled beverages the cloud has been typically provided by citrus oils in the case of citrus flavored beverages or by neutral vegetable oils (e.g. coconut oil) in the case of non-citrus flavored beverages, which cloud may be enhanced by the presence of weighting oils in the beverage. In dry beverage mixes the cloud has been provided by incorporating dry clouding agents prepared by spray drying emulsions containing plastic fats, typically hydrogenated coconut oil (U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,106) or hydrogenated coconut oil, inorganic pigments such as titanium dioxide, and hydrocolloids such as gum Arabic (U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,522).
A major drawback in the use of these clouds is the development of an off-taste, an undesirable soapy taste, which is due to oxidated rancidity and hydrolysis of the oil and fat. This problem is compounded because the off-taste develops during storage and may not be discovered until the product is sold. Development of this off-taste in bottled and canned beverages may be due to factors such as heat and/or sunlight. In dry beverage mixes development of the off-taste may be due to various factors, such as incomplete fixing of the fat initially, release of the fat during processing (due to the mechanical force and/or heat developed during ribbon blending), or adverse storage conditions (i.e. high heat and humidity). The presence of the fat leads to further problems such as clumping of the mix and insolubility of the mix when reconstituted in water. The use of antioxidants to overcome the off-taste problem is undesirable and often limited by government regulations. Hence, the search has begun for an oil- and fat-free clouding agent.
Two stable dry clouds have been described in the recent literature. One is a fat-free cloud prepared by co-drying an aqueous dispersion containing a major amount of a solubilized malto dextrin and a minor amount of xanthan gum and titanium dioxide (U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,326). The other involves the combination of a non-dairy base and a new orange flavor emulsion to provide the cloud ("Breakfast Orange Drink Scores Formulation Breakthrough", Processed Prepared Food, June 1980, p. 116). The non-dairy base is a component of the stabilizer, which also contains pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose, xanthan gum and carrageenan gum. Typically non-dairy bases are stabilized dried emulsions containing 20 to 50% oil or fat.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simple oil- and fat-free cloud and precloud which may be used in acidic fluids, especially in beverages and beverage mixes.